FFF#25 Review: DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

It's become an ongoing routine that the opening film of the Fantasy Filmfest is regarded as a let down by many in the audience. It's never been fully established where this animosity stems from, as most films that screened as openers over the last ten years were at least decent or interesting, albeit some of them unspectacular. Thus, I feel sorry to say that Don't be afraid of the Dark, the Guillermo Del Toro produced remake of a 70s TV-horror film, was the one film that felt most like a let down to me.

The story starts compelling enough: a little girl finds herself threatened by small creatures in the new family home. Her father is busy polishing his ego and has little time for his daughter, while her step mother gives her best to bond with the kid (albeit unsuccessful). Due to a trauma, neither of her parents believe her in her plight that the house is haunted. Combine that with great set design and the usually reliable Guy Pearce, and it looks like a fun evening.

But something is wrong with this film - and it's the script.

Don't be afraid of the Dark simply makes many mistakes. The creatures are revealed too early, CGI animated and seemingly not a threat (whenever they try to kill somebody, they don't even manage to do that). Their backstory is lackluster at best (as is their motivation). The father only cares for architectural digest and little else, and is content to constantly put his traumatized daughter in rather troubling situations.

The step mother never realizes she's in a horror film as she sneaks from one genre-typical moment to the next (giving your daughter a polaroid camera instead of a flashlight when she clearly exclaims fear of darkness is sort of stupid, really). The girl is mostly unlikable (suppose you find a strange furnace in the cellar where creepy voices come out from - would you open it?) and acts like a teenager (both the situations she is placed in, her dialogue and her acting style remind more of a character that age - it is important to note that her character was created for the remake, the protagonist of the film it is based on is Katie Holmes character, and her husband has no daughter). Supporting characters only act as conveyors of exposition. The ending doesn't work and is not properly explained.

So we end up with a good looking film that lacks any scariness or individuality, interesting characters or food for thought. Del Toro's touch, however, makes it at least a decent experience, as one can indulge in enough stylistic beauty and great set-design to carry us through the film. But compared to other Del Toro productions (like 'The Orphanage') or successful haunted house horror films, Don't be afraid of the Dark disappoints.

Rating - 5/10